Toilets That Make Compost

4. Fossa alterna - The Double Pit Compost

Toilet

The double pit compost toilet, Fossa alterna, is made up of six parts:

• Two pits
• Two ring beams to protect the two pits
• A single concrete slab which sits on one of the ring beams
• The toilet house which provides privacy

Like the earlier system each pit fills up with a mix of excreta, soil, wood
ash and leaves. Leaves are put in the base of the pit before use and every
day some soil and wood ash are added to the pit. Dry leaves are also added
to the pit. No garbage such as plastic, rags, and bottles is put down the pit.
One pit fills up first. During the first season the second pit is unused or is
filled with leaves. After the first year the first pit will have filled.

4.1 Managing the double pit compost toilet

When the first pit is full, the toilet slab and structure are moved on to the
second pit and top soil is placed over the contents of the first pit which is
then left to compost. The second pit is then put to use whilst the contents of
the first pit are composting. For a small to medium sized family, after a
year of use the second pit will be full with excreta, soil, ash and leaves and
the first pit will be ready to empty of its compost. After the original pit is
emptied the toilet slab and structure can be placed back again over the
empty pit and the recently filled pit covered with soil and left to compost
for a further year. This ritual of changing pits every 12 months can continue
for many years in the same site. If the pit filling rate is faster, it is possible
to remove pit compost after 6 or 9 months and transfer to a tree pit and
plant a tree rather than use on the vegetable garden. The regular addition of
soil, ash and leaves to the pit helps the composting process considerably.
The system not only provides a valuable toilet facility but also a valuable
annual supply of compost for the garden.

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4.2 Examples of double pit composting toilets

There are many options for making a portable structure. With two
rectangular concrete ring beams and slabs, a portable structure can be made
of poles and reeds (Figure 4-1) or a steel frame (Figure 4-2). The structure
itself moves with the slab at yearly intervals in this design.

Figure 4-1: A portable structure using Figure 4-2: A portable structure using a
poles and reeds steel frame

Figure 4-3: A permanent structure housing both pits Figure 4-4: Inside of the
permanent structure

A permanent structure can also be made for housing the double pit
composting toilets. In Malawi and Mozambique, the most popular method
of building the Fossa alterna is to house both pits within a single
superstructure (Figure 4-3). Domed round slabs are often used in Malawi
(Figure 4-4). Soil and ash are added to the pit after each use. This helps to
control flies and odours and also helps the pit contents to compost faster.

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4.3 Building the double pit compost toilet

The first step is to make a rectangular concrete slab. The concrete slab is
made with a mixture of cement and good quality river sand with some wire
reinforcing. The mould for the concrete slab is made from bricks laid on
levelled ground.

Figure 4-5: Measurements for the 1.2m X 0.9m concrete slab

The slab is 1.2m long and 0.9m wide in this case. It is made by mixing 10
litres of cement with 50 litres clean river sand. Holes for the squat hole, and
vent pipe if required, are made by inserting moulds within the brick mould
(Figure 4-5). Half the mix is added to the brick mould first. Eight
reinforcing wires - four of 1.15m and four of 0.85m - are laid within the
mould. The wire is 3 - 4mm thick. Then the second half of the mix is added
and smoothed down with a wooden float and finally finished with a steel
float. 4 steel handles can be added if required.

Figure 4-6 shows an example of a slab mould made of bricks and wooden
shuttering. The eight pieces of 3mm reinforcing wire have been cut and laid
on the plastic ground sheet. Four carrying handles have also been prepared.
A 10 litre bucket with the base removed has been shaped by drawing in the
two sides with wire. A 75mm length of 110mm pipe has also been cut to
make the hole for the vent pipe.

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Figure 4-6: A slab mould made with bricks and wood

Half the mix is added first, the reinforcing wire is laid, followed by the
remaining concrete which is smoothed down. The handles are added by
pushing them into the concrete mix (Figure 4-7). A little extra cement can
be added around each handle to increase the strength of the concrete at this
point. Finally the slab is smoothed down flat with a steel float and left to
cure for 7 – 10 days.

Figure 4-7: The completed slab inside the mould

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The next step is to make rectangular concrete ring beams for the double pit
compost toilet. In the example described here, the external measurements
of the beam are 1.3m X 1.0m and the internal measurements - the size of
the hole - are 1.0 X 0.7m (Figure 4-8). This ring beam is made for a slab
measuring 1.2m X 0.9m. The mould can be made with bricks. 10 litres of
cement are mixed with 50 litres clean river sand. Half the mix is added
first. Wire reinforcing is used within the concrete mix with two strands of 3
- 4mm wire down each length, making a total of 8 pieces. The total length
of wire required is approximately 9 metres. Then the second half of the mix
is added and smoothed down with a wooden float. The beam is covered and
left to sure for at least 7 days.

Figure 4-8: Measurements for the rectangular ring beam

When constructing the double pit composting toilet, the two ring beams can
be cast on the actual toilet site directly on the ground, at least 0.5 metres
apart. A level piece of ground, preferably on a slightly elevated site, is best.
Alternatively the two ring beams can be cast away from the toilet site and
moved on to the site after curing. In this case a plastic sheet should be laid
on the ground on which the ring beams can be made. The mould for the
ring beam can be made with bricks (Figure 4-9). Wooden shuttering can
also be used as a mould, or a combination of bricks and wood. The ring
beams are made 75mm thick, about the thickness of a brick. After a few
days the bricks can be carefully removed but the watering continues. Note
the handles inserted into the ring beam at the edges – these are useful if
used with the Arborloo, but not necessary with the Fossa alterna, since the

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ring beams will never be moved. In practice handles are rarely used on the
ring beam.

Figure 4-9: Ring beam mould using Figure 4-10: Digging the pit for the
bricks Fossa alterna

In the case of the Fossa alterna the two ring beams can be cast on the site
where they will be used about 0.5m apart. In the case of the Arborloo, the
ring beam is best made offsite and then placed in position as it will be
easier to move later. Once the ring beam has been positioned and made
level, the soil inside is excavated to the required depth. This is about one
metre for the Arborloo and between 1.2 and 1.5m for the Fossa alterna
(Figure 4-10). The excavated soil is deposited around the ring beam and
rammed hard. This simple procedure will protect the pit in all but the
loosest soils.

Figure 4-11: Adding leaves to the Fossa Figure 4-12: Completed Fossa alterna
alterna pit pit

Before the slab is fitted it is a very good idea to add a sack of dried leaves
to the base of the pit which will be used first (Figure 4-11 and Figure 4-12).

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This will help the composting process from the moment fresh excreta is
added. This composting process will take longer if the excreta falls on
barren soil at the base of the pit. It is also a good idea to fill the second pit
with leaves which will make good leaf compost.

The next step is to add the concrete slab (Figure 4-13 and Figure 4-14).
Add a layer of weak cement mortar or traditional mortar for the slab to rest
on top of the ring beam. This helps the slab to rest on the ring beam without
strain. Also if a vent pipe is used, the pit should be air tight, thus allowing
the suction of the pipe to draw air down the squat hole or pedestal. This
should lead to odourless conditions in the toilet.

Figure 4-13: Addition of the concrete Figure 4-14: The completed pits for the
slab double pit composting toilet

4.4 Superstructures with rectangular slabs

The same toilet house superstructure options used for the Arborloo can be
applied for the Fossa alterna. One example is to use a wooden structure
and two shallow pits with brick ring beams (Figure 4-15). Another
example, from a Fossa alterna in a low density suburb in Harare, uses two
concrete ring beams and a structure made with a steel frame overlaid by
grass and a PVC vent pipe (Figure 4-16).

It is always important to always include a hand washing facility. For the

hand washing facility shown to the left of the Fossa alterna in Figure 4-17,
the waste water falls into a flower pot. In the same figure, the second pit is
shown filled with leaves and compost during the first year; the second pit
was also used to grow comfrey. Inside the toilet house (Figure 4-18) a
homemade pedestal has been fitted. The yellow bucket contains a mix of

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soil and wood ash and cup for dispensing the mixture. Leaves are also
added occasionally.

Figure 4-15: Fossa alterna using a Figure 4-16: Fossa alterna with grass
wooden structure walls

Figure 4-17: Fossa alterna at Woodhall Figure 4-18: Inside a Fossa alterna that
Road, Harare has been fitted with a pedestal

Figure 4-19 shows the fitting a portable superstructure to one of the twin
Fossa alterna pits in Epworth, close to Harare. During the first year the
second pit was filled with leaves and soil to make leaf mould. After 12
months the leaf mould was dug out and the slab and structure moved to the
second pit. The pit filled with excreta, soil, ash and leaves has been topped
up with soil (Figure 4-20, right-side).

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Figure 4-19: Fitting a portable Figure 4-20: A Fossa alterna after the
superstructure to a Fossa alterna pit second year

Figure 4-21: Fossa alterna with a Figure 4-22: Excavating the humus from
permanent structure the pit

Figure 4-23: Digging out compost in Figure 4-24: Digging out compost in
Hatcliffe, Zimbabwe Epworth, Zimbabwe

The Fossa alterna can also be enclosed by a permanent structure. This

example from Niassa Province, Mozambique (Figure 4-21) shows the twin
pits enclosed in a single pole and grass superstructure which is permanently

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located. A washing area is also constructed as part of the system. These are
very popular units, as they are almost odour and fly free, unlike many
earlier toilets built in the area. They are also relatively low cost. The pits
are each 1.5m deep and protected by brick ring beams. The pits do need to
be excavated to use the humus (Figure 4-22, Figure 4-23 and Figure 4-24).

Figure 4-25: Construction of a portable Figure 4-26: A Fossa alterna with a

structure for a Fossa alterna permanent brick and thatch structure

Figure 4-27: Fossa alterna with a metal Figure 4-28: Brick double pit composting
structure toilet

Further examples of structures for the Fossa alterna include a portable

structure in Kusa Village, Kisumu, Kenya (Figure 4-25), a permanent brick
and thatch Fossa alterna in Kufunda Village, Ruwa, Zimbabwe (Figure
4-26), a Fossa alterna with a metal structure in Maputaland, South Africa
(Figure 4-27) and a brick built double pit composting toilet in Lilongwe,
Malawi (Figure 4-28).

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